Headline News
Israel Cancels Independence Day Celebrations As Fires Rage Around Jerusalem Leading Some To Speculate That Hamas In Gaza Is Behind Massive Blaze
As Israel heads into Independence Day, the smell of fire and the thick grey smoke give a sense of unease, with multiple sources alleging Hamas terrorism and fear of major damage to the Armored Corps museum in Latrun, a significant memorial site
As you read this, reports of rain falling from the sky have started coming in over the last hour, helping firefighters to begin to put out what was most assuredly the biggest fire in the modern day history of Israel. But don’t let that fact prevent you from wrapping your head around the fact that the blazes were arson, started by Hamas, and set on the Israeli Independence Day celebrations. Timing is everything, and that’s the memo.
“Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.” Psalm 68:9 (KJB)
There are many ways to wage a war, and using a military with guns and tanks is only one of them. The terrorist events that took place on October 7th, 2023, were basically planned and carried out by an aggressor, Hamas, who is many times smaller and quite inferior to the combined might of the IAF and the IDF. Yet with the element of surprise and some rudimentary planning, Hamas scored a win for the record books. I have no doubt that Hamas set these fires to show the Jews that, even on their Independence Day, Israel will not be free from their grip.
Israel Ablaze in National Emergency Believed To Be Terrorist Act
FROM THEMEDIALINE: A massive wildfire broke out on Wednesday in Israel in the forests between Eshtaol and Latrun, west of Jerusalem, forcing evacuations and road closures as thousands gathered across the Jewish state for Memorial Day observances. Fanned by high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds, the fire, believed to have been set intentionally, spread rapidly through multiple locations across Israel.
“It’s a terror attack on Israel,” Eli Beer, president of the United Hatzalah emergency response organization, told The Media Line. He noted that fires were started in 20 separate locations. A security source also confirmed to The Media Line that a terrorist act was likely behind the fires, adding that several people had been arrested.
A map circulating in Israeli security circles depicts the locations of the fires, almost all of which are marked on the Israeli side of the Green Line separating the West Bank from Israel and Gaza—not in the areas inhabited by Palestinians. Hamas posted on social media a call for Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel to “burn whatever you can of groves, forests, and settler homes” and “set their cars ablaze.”
Several individuals from East Jerusalem have been arrested by Israeli police on suspicion of attempting to ignite fires in the area, including a man in his 50s from Umm Tuba who was arrested after allegedly trying to set fire to an open field in southern Jerusalem. When confronted by police, the suspect attempted to flee but was apprehended after a brief chase. Authorities found a lighter, cotton, and other incendiary materials in his possession.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Transportation Minister Israel Katz described the situation as a national emergency. On social media, Likud lawmaker Dan Illouz called for “an immediate closure of Judea and Samaria and an iron-fisted response” to the fires.
“We don’t wait for an attack—we thwart it,” he wrote. “We have learned the lesson, from both old and new history.”
In an interview with The Media Line, Chaim Rafalowski, disaster management and EU projects coordinator for Magen David Adom emergency services, described the situation as “very serious.” “We’re hoping that the National Fire Service will manage to get things under control so it doesn’t escalate into a full-blown disaster,” he said.
Authorities shut down major arteries including Highway 1, the main road connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and Highway 3. Drivers abandoned their cars and fled on foot as smoke engulfed the roads. “People found themselves in immediate danger as fires approached their vehicles,” Rafalowski said. Beer described the sight of abandoned cars as reminiscent of scenes from the October 7, 2023, attacks. READ MORE
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